Enhancing group sound reactions

ABSTRACT

Enhancing group sound during a networked conference is disclosed. In an embodiment, a method includes generating an audio signal at a user equipment (UE), detecting a group sound in the audio signal, generating a group sound indicator that identifies the detected group sound, and transmitting the group sound indicator to a network server. The method also includes receiving, from the network server, a control signal that identifies a selected group sound, and reproducing, at the UE, the selected group sound identified by the control signal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.17/039,870, filed on Sep. 30, 2020, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

FIELD

The exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to the fieldof network communication. More specifically, the exemplary embodimentsof the present invention relate to enhancing group sound reactionsduring a network conference.

BACKGROUND

With the increasing popularity of digital electronics and networkcommunications, real-time interactive networked conferences have becomemore popular. For example, video conferencing applications allow peopleto communicate with each other from remote locations and exchange audioand video content in real time.

Audio sharing during a networked conference is an important feature. Ameeting attendee, for example, can receive and transmit audioinformation with other attendees. One sound-related issue that occursduring team meetings or large events is when users respond with certainreactions that in real life produce a sound. These sounds includeclapping, cheering, and happy birthday greetings and can be referred toas group sounds (GS). Unfortunately, conventional conference systemsallow only a few participants to be heard by others in the conferencewhen group sounds occur. When participants start clapping, for example,the sound from only a few users clapping can be heard by other users inthe meeting. This minimizes the group experience during a large networkconference.

SUMMARY

In various embodiments, a group sound enhancement system (GSES) isdisclosed that provides enhanced group sounds during a networkedconference. To support a richer experience in large events, embodimentsof the GSES analyze the microphone input at each attendee's client, andreport to the server if a specific audio event (e.g., group sound), suchas cheers or clapping has been detected. During any certain timeinterval, if the number of attendees that are producing the detectedsound exceeds a pre-defined threshold, each client is triggered toreproduce (or play) a corresponding sound reaction in the meeting thatsimulates the sounds of multiple users making the detected group sound.All attendees including the presenter and audience will hear thereproduced group sound. In an embodiment, the threshold number is basedon a combination of detected sounds and reactions initiated by differentmeetings participants.

In an embodiment, a method is provided for group sound enhancement thatincludes generating an audio signal at a user equipment (UE), detectinga group sound in the audio signal, generating a group sound indicatorthat identifies the detected group sound, and transmitting the groupsound indicator to a network server. The method also includes receiving,from the network server, a control signal that identifies a selectedgroup sound, and reproducing, at the UE, the selected group soundidentified by the control signal.

In an embodiment, apparatus is provided for group sound enhancement in anetwork conference. The apparatus comprises a detector that detects agroup sound in an audio signal at a UE. The detector generates a groupsound indicator that identifies the group sound. The apparatus alsocomprises a transceiver that transmits the group sound indicator to anetwork server and receives a control signal from the network server.The apparatus also comprises a processor that reproduces a selectedgroup sound that is identified by the control signal.

In an embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable medium is providedon which are stored program instructions that, when executed by aprocessor, cause the processor to perform operations of: generating anaudio signal at a user equipment (UE); detecting a group sound in theaudio signal; generating a group sound indicator that identifies thedetected group sound; transmitting the group sound indicator to anetwork server; receiving, from the network server, a control signalthat identifies a selected group sound; and reproducing, at the UE, theselected group sound identified by the control signal.

In an embodiment, a method is provided for operating a server to providegroup sound enhancements in a network conference. The method comprisesreceiving one or more group sound indicators from one or more UE,determining when the number of UE detecting a selected group soundwithin a selected time interval exceeds a threshold value, and when thethreshold is exceeded, transmitting a group sound control indicator tothe UE of the network conference. The group sound control indicatorindicates a group sound to be reproduced at each UE.

Additional features and benefits of the exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention will become apparent from the detailed description,figures and claims set forth below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be understoodmore fully from the detailed description given below and from theaccompanying drawings of various embodiments of the invention, which,however, should not be taken to limit the invention to the specificembodiments, but are for explanation and understanding only.

FIG. 1 shows a diagram illustrating a communication network thatprovides a networked conference that includes embodiments of a groupsound enhancement system.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of a group sound notificationsystem shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary detailed embodiment of a group sound detectorshown in FIG. 2 .

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary detailed embodiment of a group soundprocessing circuit for use at user equipment shown in FIG. 2 .

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary detailed embodiment of a group sound controlsystem shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 6 shows an exemplary embodiments of the indicators GSDI and GSCIfor use with embodiments of a group sound enhancement system.

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary method for operating user equipment to providegroup sound enhancement during a network conference.

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary method for operating a server to provide groupsound enhancement during a network conference.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention disclose methods and apparatus forproviding enhanced group sound processing during online real-timeinteractive networked conference meetings.

The purpose of the following detailed description is to provide anunderstanding of one or more embodiments of the present invention. Thoseof ordinary skills in the art will realize that the following detaileddescription is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any waylimiting. Other embodiments will readily suggest themselves to suchskilled persons having the benefit of this disclosure and/ordescription.

In the interest of clarity, not all of the routine features of theimplementations described herein are shown and described. It will, ofcourse, be understood that in the development of any such actualimplementation, numerous implementation-specific decisions may be madein order to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliancewith application and business related constraints, and that thesespecific goals will vary from one implementation to another and from onedeveloper to another. Moreover, it will be understood that such adevelopment effort might be complex and time-consuming but wouldnevertheless be a routine undertaking of engineering for those ofordinary skills in the art having the benefit of embodiments of thisdisclosure.

Various embodiments of the present invention illustrated in the drawingsmay not be drawn to scale. Rather, the dimensions of the variousfeatures may be expanded or reduced for clarity. In addition, some ofthe drawings may be simplified for clarity. Thus, the drawings may notdepict all of the components of a given apparatus (e.g., device) ormethod. The same reference indicators will be used throughout thedrawings and the following detailed description to refer to the same orlike parts.

In accordance with the embodiments of present invention, the components,process steps, and/or data structures described herein may beimplemented using various types of operating systems, computingplatforms, computer programs, and/or general-purpose machines. Inaddition, those of ordinary skills in the art will recognize thatdevices of a less general-purpose nature, such as hardware devices,field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), or the like, may also be used without departing fromthe scope and spirit of the inventive concepts disclosed herein. Where amethod comprising a series of process steps is implemented by a computeror a machine and those process steps can be stored as a series ofinstructions readable by the machine, they may be stored on a tangiblemedium such as a computer memory device, such as, but not limited to,magnetoresistive random access memory (“MRAM”), phase-change memory, orferroelectric RAM (“FeRAM”), flash memory, ROM (Read Only Memory), PROM(Programmable Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically ErasableProgrammable Read Only Memory), Jump Drive, magnetic storage medium(e.g., tape, magnetic disk drive, and the like), optical storage medium(e.g., CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, paper card and paper tape, and the like) andother known types of program memory.

The term “system” or “device” is used generically herein to describe anynumber of components, elements, sub-systems, devices, packet switchelements, packet switches, access switches, routers, networks, computerand/or communication devices or mechanisms, or combinations ofcomponents thereof. The term “computer” includes a processor, memory,and buses capable of executing instruction wherein the computer refersto one or a cluster of computers, personal computers, workstations,mainframes, or combinations of computers thereof.

FIG. 1 shows a diagram illustrating a communication network 100 thatprovides a networked conference that includes embodiments of a groupsound enhancement system. The communication network 100 comprises aserver computer 140 coupled to a network 130, which is also coupled toclient computers 102, 110, 118, and 120 as attendee's systems ordevices. Server 140, in one example, is coupled to a group of wirelessor portable devices 118 via a base station 116. In one example, server140 may represent an instance among a large number of instances ofapplication servers in a data center, cloud computing environment, orany other mass computing environment. In an embodiment, the network 130comprises a wired network, wireless network, or any combination of wiredand wireless networks. There also may be included thousands or millionsof client computers. It should be noted that the underlying concepts ofthe exemplary embodiments of the present invention would not change ifone or more blocks (or systems) were added to or removed from thecommunication network 100.

In an embodiment, server computer 140 hosts a networked conferencemeeting and transmits and receives video and audio data to and from eachof the client computers 102, 110, 118, and 120. Each of the clientcomputers 102, 110, 118, and 120 includes a computing device having acentral processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), one ormore buses, memory organized as volatile and/or nonvolatile storage, oneor more data input devices, I/O interfaces and output devices such asloudspeakers or a LINE-OUT jack and associated drivers. Each of theclient computers 102, 110, 118, and 120 may include an integrated orseparate display unit such as a computer screen, TV screen or otherdisplay. Client computers 102, 110, 118, and 120 may comprise any ofmobile or stationary computers including desktop computers, laptops,netbooks, ultrabooks, tablet computers, smartphones, et cetera. Itshould be noted that GPU and CPU each manage separate hardware memoryspaces. For example, CPU memory may be used primarily for storingprogram instructions and data associated with application programs,whereas GPU memory may have a high-speed bus connection to the GPU andmay be directly mapped to row/column drivers or driver circuitsassociated with a liquid crystal display (LCD) that serves as thedisplay. In exemplary embodiments, the network 130 is a wired network,wireless network, or any combination thereof. In one embodiment, thenetwork 130 is the Internet.

Each of the client computers 102, 110, 118, and 120 hosts an applicationthat allows each of the client computers 102, 110, 118, and 120 tocommunicate with the server computer 140. In an embodiment, the server140 maintains a list of accounts, each associated with one of the clientcomputers 102, 110, 118, 120 and/or one or more users of the clientcomputers.

In one embodiment, each of the client computers 102, 110, 118, and 120can be used by an attendee of a networked conference session. Clientcomputers 102, 110, 118, and 120 can be simultaneously a presenter andrecipient attendee of a networked conference session.

Group Sound Enhancements

With the recent growth of networked meetings, users have started toutilize these meetings for applications beyond business meetings. Forexample, networked audio/video meetings are now being used for largepersonal gatherings, such as informal club meetings or parties, such asbirthday parties. During a large event, users respond with group sounds,such as clapping, cheering, laughter, or other real life sounds. It isdesirable that meeting participants experience these group sounds asemanating from a large number of meeting participants to provide a morerealistic meeting experience.

In an embodiment, the group sound enhancement system operates to providea more realistic group sound experience in a network conference. Asillustrated in FIG. 1 , the client computers 102, 110, 118, 120 includean embodiment of a group sound notification system (GSNS) 150 and theserver computer 140 includes an embodiment of a group sound controlsystem (GSCS) 160. The notification system 150 and control system 160work together to provide enhanced group sounds during a networkconference.

During operation, the GSNS 150 at each of the computers 102, 110, 118,120 detects when specific types of sounds, such as clapping or cheering,occur at each computer. When a group sound is detected, the GSNS 150identifies the type of group sound and transmits a group sound detectionidentifier (GSDI) to the server 140. For example, the computer 102transmits the GSDI 142 to the server 140 and the computer 110 transmitsthe GSDI 144 to the server 140. The groups sounds detected at eachcomputer may be the same or different and these differences result indifferent identifiers being transmitted to the server 140.

The server 140 receives all the GSDI that have been transmitted to itfrom the computers in the network conference. The GSCS 160 totals thenumber of GSDIs received that identify each type of group sound. Forexample, ten client computers may detect clapping and three clientcomputers may detect cheering.

When the total GSDIs received within a selected time interval (e.g., 0.5to 1.0 seconds) for a particular group sound exceed a threshold value,then the GSCS 160 transmits a group sound control indicator GSCI (e.g.,GSCI 146) to all the conference attendees. The group sound controlindicator identifies one or more group sounds to be reproduced by theattendees' computers. For example, the GSCS 160 determines that thetotal number of GSDIs received for a clapping sound exceeds a thresholdvalue. The GSCS 160 then transmits the GSCI 146 to all the attendees.The GSCI 146 identifies a group clapping sound to be reproduced by thecomputers of the attendees.

At the attendees' computers, the GSNS 150 receives the GSCI 146 andobtains group sound information or a group sound file from a group sounddatabase. It should be noted that the GSCI 146 can identify more thanone group sound to be reproduced at a time. For example the GSCI 146 canidentify “clapping” as a group sound and can also identify “cheering” asa group sound. In another embodiment, the server 140 can transmit twoGSCI to the attendees. One that identifies clapping and a second thatidentifies cheering. As a result, when a selected number of attendeesare detected making a group sound, the GSCS 140 sends out one or moregroup sound control indicators so that all attendees reproduce a groupsound that is more representative of the number of attendees. Thisprovides a more realistic group sound experience for the attendees ofthe network conference.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of a group sound notificationsystem (GSNS) 200. For example, the GSNS 200 is suitable for use as theGSNS 150 shown in FIG. 1 . The GSNS 200 comprises group sound detector202, group sound processing circuit 204, and streaming transceiver 206.The circuit 204 comprises processor 208, reproducible group sounddatabase 210, and sound reproduction interface 212.

During operation, an audio input 214 is received by the group sounddetector 202. For example, the audio input can be an audio signal of auser that is generated by a microphone. The audio input 214 may includeone or more group sounds that are also captured by the microphone. Forexample, the group sounds captured by the microphone may be clapping orcheering, or other type of group sound.

In an embodiment, the audio input 214 is input to the group sounddetector 202, which detects the presence of group sounds in the audioinput. If the audio input comprises group sounds, the GS detector 202generates and outputs a group sound detection identifier (GSDI) 216 thatidentifies the group sounds detected in the audio input 214.

In an embodiment, the processor 208 passes the received GSDI 216 to thestreaming transceiver 206 for transmission to the network server. Thus,any GSDIs received by the processor 208 are transmitted to the networkserver (e.g., server 140).

In an embodiment, the network server determines when the number ofattendee computers that detect a particular group sound within aselected time interval has exceeded a threshold value. For example, tenattendee computers report detecting clapping within a one second timeinterval and the threshold for clapping is eight computers. In thiscase, the server generates and transmits a group sound control indicator220 to all the UE of the network conference. The GSCI 220 is received bythe streaming transceiver 206 input to the processor 208. The GSCIidentifies one or more group sounds to be reproduced by the attendee'scomputer. The processor 208 retrieves one or more reproducible groupsounds from the database 210 based on the received GSCI 222. Forexample, the group sounds are stored in the database 210 as sound filesor other type of sound information that can be audibly reproduced. In anembodiment, the group sounds in the database 210 are pre-stored ordownloaded from the network server.

The processor 208 then passes the reproducible group sounds to the soundreproduction interface 212 for reproduction by the attendee's computer.Thus, instead of attendees hearing clapping or cheering from a fewmeeting participants, the system provides a more realistic conferenceexperience by reproducing group sounds made by hundreds or thousands ofpeople.

In an exemplary embodiment, the group sound notification system operateswithin the group sound enhancement system to provide enhanced groupsounds for real-time networked conferencing by performing at least oneor more of the following operations.

1. Obtain an audio signal at UE. For example, the audio signal can beobtained from a microphone.

2. Detect when the audio signal comprises group sounds, such as clappingor cheering. For example, the group sound detector 202 makes thisdetermination and outputs the group sound detection indicator 216, whichindicates the types of group sounds that are detected.

3. Transmitting the GSDI to a network server. For example, processor 208uses the streaming transceiver 206 to transmit the GSDI 216 to a networkserver (such as server 140).

4. Receive a group sound control indicator from the network server. Forexample, the GSCI 220 is received from the network server 140 by thetransceiver 206 and passed to the processor 208. The GSCI indicates thatthe number of attendee computers that are detected a selected groupsound has exceeded a threshold value.

5. Retrieve reproducible group sound information from a reproduciblegroup sound database based on the information in the GSCI. For example,the processor 208 accesses the database 210 based on the GSCI 220 and toobtain the group sound information.

6. The retrieved group sound information is reproduced at the userequipment. For example the processor 208 retrieves the group soundinformation from the database 210 and passes this information to thesound reproduction interface 212. Sound reproduction interface 212produces the sound output 222. The sound output 222 comprises one ormore group sounds, such as clapping or cheering that emanate from alarge number of participants to provide a more realistic groupexperience.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary detailed embodiment of the group sounddetector 202 illustrated in FIG. 2 . In an embodiment, the group sounddetector 202 comprises a feature extractor 302, neural network 304,detection circuit 306, and group sound detection database 316.

In an exemplary embodiment, the group sound detector 202 is configuredto analyze the audio input 214 to determine audio features 312 fromshort (usually 500 milliseconds) audio segments (current audio segments308) and historical audio segments 310. The feature analysis isperformed by an artificial intelligence (AI) based neural network 304comprising one or multiple neural network layers, such as FullyConnected layers, Convolutional layers, and/or Long short-term memorylayers. In an embodiment, the neural network 304 is trained to performthe functions described herein.

In an exemplary embodiment, the audio signal 214 is input to the featureextractor 302, which extracts audio features 312 (for example, MelFrequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCCs)) from the current audio segment308 and the historical audio segment 310. The audio features 312(current and historical) are then input to the neural network 304.

In an exemplary embodiment, the neural network 304 processes thefeatures 312 and outputs a probability indicator 314 that indicates theprobability of the current audio segment 308 containing group soundsexpressed in a 0-1 scale for each sound type. In an embodiment, thedetection circuit 306 receives the probability indicator 314 andperforms post processing strategies to remove outliers and to furthermap the probability indicator 314 to binary values in the group sounddetection indicator 216. The binary values indicate whether or not aparticular group sound type is present. The GSDI 216 is then output tothe processor 208 of the group sound processing circuit 204.

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary detailed embodiment of the group soundprocessing circuit 204 for use at user equipment as illustrated in FIG.2 . In an embodiment, the circuit 204 comprises the processor 208,instructions 402, memory 404, and the sound reproduction interface 212all coupled to communicate over bus 416. The memory 404 includes thereproducible GS database 210.

During operation, the network server transmits the reproducible GSdatabase 210 to the circuit 204 for storage in the memory 404. Theprocessor receives the GSDI 216 and outputs this indicator to thetransceiver 206 for transmission to the network server. The GSDI 216indicates the group sounds detected at the user equipment by the GSdetector 202.

The network server transmits the GSCI 220 over the network to theprocessor 208. The GSCI 220 indicates the types of reproducible soundsthat are to be reproduced at the user equipment. In another embodiment,the GSCI 220 is received from another entity, such as user equipmentacting as a meeting host. The processor 208 analyzes the GSCI 220 anddetermines the sounds to be retrieved from the reproducible GS database210. The processor retrieves the sounds and/or sound files from thereproducible GS database 210, and passes this information to the soundreproduction interface 212. The sound reproduction interface 212produces a sound output 222 that is used to reproduce the identifiedgroup sounds at the user equipment.

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary detailed embodiment of the group sound controlsystem 500 for use at a network server. For example, the group soundcontrol system 500 is suitable for use as the group sound control system160 illustrated in FIG. 1 . In an embodiment, the system 500 comprisesnetwork processor 502, memory 504, instructions 506, and networktransceiver 508 all coupled to the bus 510. The memory 504 comprises thereproducible group sound database 210.

During operation, the processor 502 retrieves the reproducible GSdatabase 210 from the memory 504 and transmits this database to all UEof a network conference. For example, the processor 502 passes thedatabase 210 to the transceiver 508, which transmits the database 210 tothe networked UE as indicated.

A plurality of GSDI 514 are received by the network transceiver 508 fromnetworked UE and indicate the group sounds detected at each UE. The GSDI514 are passed to the processor 502, which totals the number of UE thathave detected each type of group sound within a selected time interval.For example, the time interval in the range of 0.5 to 1 second, but anydesired time interval can be utilized. If the total for any group soundexceeds a selected threshold, then the processor 502 generates the GSCI220, which is transmitted to the networked UE. The GSCI 220 indicates tothe UE which group sounds are to be reproduced at the UE. For example,if the plurality of GSDI 514 indicate that the number of UE detecting aclapping group sound exceed a threshold value, the processor 502generates the GSCI 220 to control the UE to reproduce the group clappingsound stored in the GS database 210. Exemplary embodiments of theindicators GSDI and GSCI are provided below.

In an exemplary embodiment, a group sound control system operates withinthe group sound enhancement system to provide enhanced group sounds forreal-time networked conferencing by performing at least one or more ofthe following operations.

1. Download a reproducible group sound database to client UE.

2. Receive one or more GSDI from UE that detect a group sound.

3. Total the number of UE that detect a particular group sound within aselected time interval.

4. When the number of UE that detect a particular group sound exceed athreshold, then generate a GSCI that identifies that group sound to bereproduced at the UE.

5. Transmit the GSCI to the UE of the network conference.

FIG. 6 shows an exemplary embodiments of the indicators GSDI and GSCIfor use with embodiments of a group sound enhancement system. The firsttable 602 shows values for the indicator GSDI for use with the groupsound notification system. For example, the group sound detectiondatabase 316 identifies group sounds and their associated GSDI 604. Inan embodiment, each bit position of the GSDI 604 identifies acorresponding detected group sound. Thus, the GSDI 604 identifies one ormore detected group sounds 606 by having the appropriate bit positionsset to “1.”

The second table 608 shown in FIG. 6 shows values for the indicator GSCI610 for use with the group sound notification system. For example, thereproducible group sound database 210 identifies group sounds and theirassociated GSCI 610. In an embodiment, each bit position of the GSCI 610identifies a corresponding reproducible group sound 612. Thus, theidentifier 610 identifies one or more reproducible group sounds 612 byhaving the appropriate bit positions set to “1.”

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary method 700 for operating user equipment toprovide group sound enhancement during a network conference. Forexample, the method 700 is suitable for use to operate the group soundnotification systems 150 of the computers 102, 110, 118, 120 shown inFIG. 1 . The method 700 is also suitable for use with the GSNS 200 shownin FIG. 2 .

At block 702, a network connection for facilitating a real-timeaudio/video network conference with enhanced group sound is establishedbetween a plurality of UE and a network server. For example, multiplecomputers and/or portable devices situated in different geographicallocations (i.e., computer 102, 110, 118, 120) are linked to the server140 via the communications network 130 for a real-time interactivenetwork conference as illustrated in FIG. 1 . Each computer includes agroup sound notification system 150.

At block 704, a reproducible group sound database is received from thenetwork server at the plurality of UE. For example, each UE receives andstores the reproducible group sound database 210 as part of the groupsound notification system 200 as shown in FIG. 2 .

At block 706, an audio signal is generated at one or more UE. Forexample, the audio signal is produced by a microphone. In an embodiment,the microphone at a selected UE captures a user voice signal. In anembodiment, the captured audio signal forms the audio input 214 that isinput to the group sound notification system 200.

At block 708, a determination is made as to whether one or more groupsounds are detected in the audio signal. For example, the group sounddetector 202 operates to detect whether any of the group sounds in thegroup sound detection database 306 are present in the audio signal. Forexample, the group sound detection databases 306 identifies group soundssuch as clapping or cheering. If none of the identified sounds in thegroup sound detection database are detected in the audio signal, a groupsound detection indicator (GSDI) 216 is set to all zeros and the methodproceeds to block 706. If one or more of the identified sounds in thegroup sound detection database 306 are detected in the audio signal, thegroup sound detection indicator (GSDI) 216 is set to have correspondingbit positions set to “1” and the method proceeds to block 710. Forexample, each bit position of the GSDI 216 corresponds to a detectedgroup sound. As illustrated in the GSDI shown in FIG. 6 , a first bitposition represents detected applause or clapping, a second bit positionrepresents detected laughter, and so forth for other bit positions.

At block 710, the GSDI is transmitted to the network server. Forexample, the processor 208 receives the GDSI from the detector 202 andtransmits the GDSI to the network server 140 using the streamtransceiver 206.

At block 712, a determination is made as to whether a GSCI is receivedfrom the network server. For example, the stream transceiver 206receives the GSCI from the network server 140. In an embodiment, thenetwork server 140 transmits the GSCI within a pre-determined timeinterval after the GDSI is transmitted. In another embodiment, the GSCIis received from a node other than a network server. For example, theGSCI is received from user equipment acting as a meeting host. Theprocessor 208 waits for the time interval to expire. If a GSCI is notreceived by the end of the pre-determined time interval, the methodproceeds to block 706. If a GSCI is received before the end of thepre-determined time interval, the method proceeds to block 714.

At block 714, one or more reproducible group sounds are determined fromthe received GSCI. For example, the processor 208, uses the receivedGSCI to access the reproducible group sound database 210 to determinewhich group sounds are to be reproduced at the user equipment. Forexample, as illustrated by the GSCI shown in FIG. 6 , each bit of theGSCI identifies a reproducible group sound. The processor 208 determinesthe reproducible group sounds identified in the GSCI and reproducesthose sounds are the UE. For example, a sound file corresponding to eachreproducible group sound is included in the database 210. The processor208 retrieves this sound file and reproduces the identified group soundusing the sound reproduction interface 212. It should be noted that oneor more group sounds can be identified in the received GSCI and that theprocessor 208 obtains the sound information to reproduce the one or moresounds at the UE.

Thus, the method 700 provides a method for operating user equipment toprovide group sound enhancement during a network conference. It shouldbe noted that the operations of the method 700 are exemplary and notlimiting of the scope of the embodiments. Furthermore the operations ofthe method 700 can be changed, deleted, rearranges, added to, orotherwise modified within the scope of the embodiments.

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary method 800 for operating a server to providegroup sound enhancement during a network conference. For example, themethod 800 is suitable for use to operate the group sound control system160 shown in FIG. 1 . The method 800 is also suitable for use with theGSCS 500 shown in FIG. 5 .

At block 802, a network connection for facilitating a real-timeaudio/video network conference with enhanced group sound is establishedbetween a plurality of UE and a network server. For example, multiplecomputers and/or portable devices situated in different geographicallocations (i.e., computer 102, 110, 118, 120) are linked to the server140 via the communications network 130 for a real-time interactivenetwork conference as illustrated in FIG. 1 . Each computer includes agroup sound notification system 150 and the server 140 includes thegroup sound control system 500.

At block 804, a reproducible group sound database is transmitted fromthe network server to the plurality of UE. For example, the processor502 transmits the reproducible group sound database 210 to all UE usingthe transceiver 508. Each UE receives and stores the reproducible groupsound database 210 as part of the group sound notification system 200 asshown in FIG. 2 .

At block 806, one or more GSDI are received. For example, the networktransceiver 508 of the group sound control system 500 receives theplurality of GSDI(1-n) 514 from the UE of the network conference. TheGSDI(1-n) 514 identify the types of groups sounds that are detected ateach UE.

At block 808, a determination is made as to whether the number of UEsdetecting a particular group sound within a selected time intervalexceeds a selected threshold. In an embodiment, the processor 502 totalsthe number of UEs reporting detection of each sound type within aselected time interval, such as within a one second time interval. Forexample, the processor 502 totals the number of UEs that detect clappingand/or cheering based on the received GSDIs. If the number of UEs thatdetect any particular group sound does not exceed a threshold, themethod proceeds to block 806. If the number of UEs that detect anyparticular group sound does exceed a threshold, the method proceeds toblock 810.

At block 810, GSCI to be transmitted to the UE are determined. Forexample, the processor 502 determines which sounds are to be reproducedat the UEs. For example, based on the group sounds for which thethreshold has been exceeded, the processor generates the GSCI to havethe appropriate bit locations set to a value of “1” so that the desiredgroup sounds will be reproduced at the UE.

At block 812, the generated GSCI is transmitted to the UE. For example,in an embodiment, the transceiver 508 transmits the GSCI 220 to all UE.In another embodiment, the transceiver 508 transmits the GSCI 220individually to each UE.

Thus, the method 800 provides a method for operating a group soundcontrol system during a network conference. It should be noted that theoperations of the method 800 are exemplary and not limiting of the scopeof the embodiments. Furthermore the operations of the method 800 can bechanged, deleted, rearranges, added to, or otherwise modified within thescope of the embodiments.

In an embodiment, the group sound enhancement system may implement thefunctions described herein using customized hard-wired logic, one ormore ASICs or FPGAs, firmware and/or program logic which in combinationwith a computer system causes or programs a device to provide the GSESas a special-purpose machine. According to one embodiment, thetechniques herein are performed by the GSES in response to processors208, 502 executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions402, 506, respectively. Such instructions may be read into a memory fromanother storage medium. Execution of the sequences of instructionscauses the processors to perform the process steps described herein. Inalternative embodiments, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of orin combination with software instructions.

The term “storage media” as used herein refers to any non-transitorymedium that stores data and/or instructions that cause a machine tooperate in a specific fashion. Such storage media may comprisenon-volatile media and/or volatile media. Non-volatile media includes,for example, optical or magnetic disks. Volatile media includes dynamicmemory, such as main memory. Common forms of storage media include, forexample, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, a hard disk, a solid statedrive, a magnetic tape, or any other magnetic data storage medium, aCD-ROM, any other optical data storage medium, any physical medium withpatterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, and an EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, an NVRAM,any other memory chip or cartridge.

Storage media is distinct from but may be used in conjunction withtransmission media. Transmission media participates in transferringinformation between storage media. For example, transmission mediaincludes coaxial cables, copper wire, and fiber optics, including thewires that comprise buses 406 and 510. Transmission media can also takethe form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated duringradio-wave and infra-red data communications.

Various forms of media may be involved in carrying one or more sequencesof one or more instructions to a processor for execution. For example,the instructions may initially be carried on a magnetic disk or asolid-state drive of a remote computer. The remote computer can load theinstructions into its dynamic memory and send the instructions over atelephone line using a modem. A local modem can receive the data on thetelephone line and use an infra-red transmitter to convert the data toan infra-red signal. An infra-red detector can receive the data carriedin the infra-red signal and appropriate circuitry can place the data onbuses 406 and 510. The buses carries the data to memory, from which aprocessor retrieves and executes the instructions. The instructionsreceived by memory may optionally be stored on a storage device eitherbefore or after execution by the processor.

The exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes variousprocessing steps described herein. The steps of the embodiment may beembodied in machine or computer executable instructions. Theinstructions can be used to cause a general purpose or special purposesystem, which is programmed with the instructions, to perform the stepsof the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Alternatively, thesteps of the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may beperformed by specific hardware components that contain hard-wired logicfor performing the steps, or by any combination of programmed computercomponents and custom hardware components.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shownand described, it will be obvious to those of ordinary skills in the artthat based upon the teachings herein, changes and modifications may bemade without departing from the exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention and its broader aspects. Therefore, the appended claims areintended to encompass within their scope all such changes andmodifications as are within the true spirit and scope of these exemplaryembodiments of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer implemented method comprising:receiving instances of a group sound indicator, wherein each particularcomputer device belonging to a plurality of computer devices currentlyaccessing a virtual online meeting transmits a respective instance ofthe group sound indicator; determining whether (i) the plurality ofcomputer devices that transmitted the respective instances of the groupsound indicator within a selected time interval and (ii) a total numberof computer devices in the plurality of computer devices exceeds anumber threshold; based on satisfaction of the selected time intervaland exceeding the number threshold, generating a control signalidentifying a group sound based on the group sound indicator; andtransmitting a group sound control indicator to the plurality ofcomputer devices and an additional computer device also currentlyaccessing the virtual online meeting, the group sound control indicatorbased on the control signal.
 2. The computer implemented method of claim1, further comprising: prior to receiving one or more of the instancesof the group sound indicator, transmitting a group sound database to atleast one of the computer devices, the group sound database comprisingone or more sound files, each respective sound file (i) comprising areproducible group sound and (ii) associated with a different, specificgroup sound control indicator.
 3. The computer implemented method ofclaim 2, wherein the one or more sound files further comprisesreproducible group laughter sound.
 4. The computer implemented method ofclaim 1, wherein receiving instances of a group sound indicator fromeach particular computer device belonging to a plurality of computerdevices comprises: receiving at least one instance of a first groupsound indicator; receiving at least one instance of a second group soundindicator, the first group sound indicator associated with a differenttype of group sound than the second group sound indicator.
 5. Thecomputer implemented method of claim 4, wherein determining whether atotal number of computer devices in the plurality of computer devicesexceeds a number threshold comprises: determining a total number ofcomputer devices that transmitted respective instances of the firstgroup sound indicator exceeds the number threshold.
 6. The computerimplemented method of claim 5, wherein generating a control signalidentifying a group sound based on the group sound indicator comprises:generating a first control signal based on the first group soundindicator.
 7. The computer implemented method of claim 6, whereintransmitting a group sound control indicator comprises: transmitting afirst group sound control indicator based on the first control signalto: (i) each of the computer devices that transmitted the first groupsound indicator; (ii) each of the computer devices that transmitted thesecond group sound indicator; and (iii) the additional computer device.8. A system comprising: a communications interface; a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium; and one or more processors communicativelycoupled to the communications interface and the non-transitorycomputer-readable medium, the one or more processors configured toexecute processor-executable instructions stored in the non-transitorycomputer-readable medium to: receive instances of a group soundindicator, wherein each particular computer device belonging to aplurality of computer devices currently accessing a virtual onlinemeeting transmits a respective instance of the group sound indicator;determine whether (i) the plurality of computer devices that transmittedthe respective instances of the group sound indicator within a selectedtime interval and (ii) a total number of computer devices in theplurality of computer devices exceeds a number threshold; based onsatisfaction of the selected time interval and exceeding the numberthreshold, generate a control signal identifying a group sound based onthe group sound indicator; and transmit a group sound control indicatorto the plurality of computer devices and an additional computer devicealso currently accessing the virtual online meeting, the group soundcontrol indicator based on the control signal.
 9. The system of claim 8,wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute furtherprocessor-executable instructions stored in the non-transitorycomputer-readable medium to: prior to receiving one or more of theinstances of the group sound indicator, transmit a group sound databaseto at least one of the computer devices, the group sound databasecomprising one or more sound files, each respective sound file (i)comprising a reproducible group sound and (ii) associated with adifferent, specific group sound control indicator.
 10. The system ofclaim 9, wherein one of the one or more sound files further comprisesreproducible group laughter sound.
 11. The system of claim 8, whereinreceiving instances of a group sound indicator from each particularcomputer device belonging to a plurality of computer devices comprises:receiving at least one instance of a first group sound indicator;receiving at least one instance of a second group sound indicator, thefirst group sound indicator associated with a different type of groupsound than the second group sound indicator.
 12. The system of claim 11,wherein determining whether a total number of computer devices in theplurality of computer devices exceeds a number threshold comprises:determining a total number of computer devices that transmittedrespective instances of the first group sound indicator exceeds thenumber threshold.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein generating acontrol signal identifying a group sound based on the group soundindicator comprises: generating a first control signal based on thefirst group sound indicator.
 14. The system of claim 13, whereintransmitting a group sound control indicator comprises: transmitting afirst group sound control indicator based on the first control signalto: (i) each of the computer devices that transmitted the first groupsound indicator; (ii) each of the computer devices that transmitted thesecond group sound indicator; and (iii) the additional computer device.15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprisingprocessor-executable instructions configured to cause one or moreprocessors to: receive instances of a group sound indicator, whereineach particular computer device belonging to a plurality of computerdevices currently accessing a virtual online meeting transmits arespective instance of the group sound indicator; determine whether (i)the plurality of computer devices that transmitted the respectiveinstances of the group sound indicator within a selected time intervaland (ii) a total number of computer devices in the plurality of computerdevices exceeds a number threshold; based on satisfaction of theselected time interval and exceeding the number threshold, generate acontrol signal identifying a group sound based on the group soundindicator; and transmit a group sound control indicator to the pluralityof computer devices and an additional computer device also currentlyaccessing the virtual online meeting, the group sound control indicatorbased on the control signal.
 16. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 15, further comprising processor-executable instructionsconfigured to cause one or more processors to: prior to receiving one ormore of the instances of the group sound indicator, transmit a groupsound database to at least one of the computer devices, the group sounddatabase comprising one or more sound files, each respective sound file(i) comprising a reproducible group sound and (ii) associated with adifferent, specific group sound control indicator; wherein receivinginstances of a group sound indicator from each particular computerdevice belonging to a plurality of computer devices comprises: receivingat least one instance of a first group sound indicator; receiving atleast one instance of a second group sound indicator, the first groupsound indicator associated with a different type of group sound than thesecond group sound indicator; and wherein determining whether a totalnumber of computer devices in the plurality of computer devices exceedsa number threshold comprises: determining a total number of computerdevices that transmitted respective instances of the first group soundindicator exceeds the number threshold.
 17. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein generating a controlsignal identifying a group sound based on the group sound indicatorcomprises: generating a first control signal based on the first groupsound indicator.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 17, wherein transmitting a group sound control indicatorcomprises: transmitting a first group sound control indicator based onthe first control signal to: (i) each of the computer devices thattransmitted the first group sound indicator; (ii) each of the computerdevices that transmitted the second group sound indicator; and (iii) theadditional computer device.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 16, wherein the one or more sound files furthercomprises reproducible group laughter sound.
 20. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the one or more soundfiles further comprises reproducible group birthday greeting sound.